Igniting a new career: Dropbox Ignite Apprentices on how coding changed their lives
When some people think of coders, they think of the mathematical geniuses they see in the movies, who hack mainframes in their underground battle stations and never sleep. But coders are much more diverse than that. Sure, they might have started coding when they were still in grade school, but they also might have started at the age of 50, or when they found their job in a different field unfulfilling.
Dropbox’s Ignite Apprenticeship was created for these types of coders who don’t have traditional backgrounds in computer science. Many talented brains have joined the program’s ranks, including recent program graduates and software engineers Jessie Engstrom, Giri Kalra, and Supriya Dublish.
All three of these coders experienced unique journeys outside of computer science while on their way to the Ignite program. Supriya studied biology in college, but during her last two years, took classes that explored the intersection between biology and coding. This eventually led her to enroll in a coding bootcamp. Meanwhile, Jessie completed her undergraduate degree in micro and molecular biology and immediately moved into her field. She became bored with the repetitive work and started to code for fun during her lunch breaks. And Giri, who had always planned on going into medicine, decided to take a year off after college graduation before going to med school. While traveling, he realized a crucial (and scary) truth: he didn’t actually want to be a doctor.
“I was always good with computers but never took a class,” Giri said. “When someone I knew randomly mentioned this coding bootcamp they were taking, I looked into it and took some free online classes, then I started at a bootcamp in San Francisco. During the bootcamp, my thought process was, ‘I’ll just do this and worst case scenario I learn a new skill, but best case scenario, I start a new career.’”
But starting a new career, especially when you’ve spent most of your life preparing for something else, is easier said than done. “I took no computer classes in college either,” said Jessie. “I always thought I wanted to do research! I hadn’t done much with computers, and I don’t think I’m naturally good at coding. But the biggest thing was and is getting over the initial feeling of being terrified and just trying. Because once I try, I realize, ‘I can do this!’”
Indeed, the Ignite Apprenticeship is no place for imposter syndrome. Jessie, Giri, and Supriya all learned and worked alongside a richly varied group of people: writers, artists, teachers, photographers, salespeople etc. Everyone came in at the same time, like a high school class, and this helped to create a feeling of community. As Giri said, “Most people were older and had some experience and wanted to pivot into a new career. It helped me to think, ‘this is actually attainable — I won’t just be the old non-CS guy!”
Had they not started their careers in different fields, these apprentices may not have had such a smooth transition into the coding roles they have now. Even though the fear of being inadequate can still persist, Supriya believes that she and her fellow graduates are quite the opposite.
“There are a lot of useful experiences you get before you learn to code that can be applicable. I had worked as an administrative assistant in the past, and that really helped me with communication skills and being able to organize myself. If this were my first job out of college, it would have been a much different experience. So even though you’re coming to the situation later than a lot of people, it’s not that you’re coming to it with less knowledge; you’re coming with more.”
Interested in becoming an apprentice at Dropbox? Applications are being accepted now through August 14. Click here to learn more an apply!
